Transport for London

Why is transport management so badly needed in London?

Prior to congestion charging 40,000 vehicles an hour drove every morning into central London, equivalent to 25 busy motorway lanes. With all this traffic, drivers in central London spent 50 percent of their time in queues. Traffic speeds in central London dipped below 10 mph in the period 19982000 for the first time since records began. There are now no longer any 'peaks'. Drivers spent as much as half their time in jams, costing the capital's economy 2 to 4 million a week

To enable the economy to grow faster, and allow for easier ease of access for the commuters something had to be done to combat the high congestion and four goals were set up by the TFL committee: Reducing congestion Improving bus services Improving journey time reliability for car users Making the distribution of goods and services more reliable, sustainable and efficient

What is TFL?
Transport for London is the government body responsible for most aspects of the London public transport system. Its role is to manage transport services across greater London and to implement transport strategies that would help to reduce congestion and dependency on personal cars. It was formed on the 3rd of July 2000 and its current chairman is the current serving Mayor of London: Boris Johnson.

How does TFL uses maps and guides to facilitate the use of Sustainable Transport in London

Colour coded maps to distinguish routes Different sizes and prints available Numerous routes interconnecting Easy to understand layout Accessible to most people Easily understandable and recognisable icons identifying types of transport

How does the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme operate?

Take a cycle, ride it where you like, then return it, ready for the next person. Available 24 hours a day, all year round. It's self-service and there's no booking. Just turn up and go. Best for short journeys Costs are the same whether you're a Member or not, though Members can buy the most cost-effective (annual) access.

How widely available is it?

It is available in all the boroughs of London from central London to Hackney and there is also a special guide for the Olympics which is in high demand. The cycle hire scheme seems to have been a success in London and it received a lot of positive reviews over Christmas 2011 as a lot of people used it then, however the cost of the cycle hire is still out of reach of some people in London and it still is not viewed as a viable option to car commuting by some Londoners, this is evident in the amount of negative and frustrated reviewers on the BBC website and for it to be a resounding success the organisers would have to listen to the customer complaints and get more efficient at dealing with them.

Critical evaluation
Heavy bikes so slow Uneven distribution of bikes and spaces, empty on one side of journey, full with no spaces left on the other side of journey Confusion relating to the keys and the payment plan Bad customer service, inaccessible when the customers need it most Costly when all the add ons and extras are calculated People with little to no experience are riding the bike which is a safety concern as there is danger of collisions with other road users The scheme does not have a safety helmet accompanying it which is also a concern as serious injury could arise from accidents without safety wear

How will the Barclays Cycle Superhighways contribute towards Sustainable Urban Transport?
Barclays Cycle Superhighways (BCS) are cycle routes running from outer London into central London. They give you safer, faster and more direct journeys into the city and could be your best and quickest way to get to work according to the website. The superhighways are going to be dedicated routes for cyclers promising them hassle free commuting from motorists so it should be safer and faster to cycle to places. They are going to contribute greatly to the sustainable urban transport scheme because they would encourage more sceptics to take up the scheme as there would be fewer excuses. There would also be more commuters as the routes become more reliable and efficient as well as safer and faster than travelling by car. Over time it would convince people that sustainable transport is better as there would be less congestion on the roads and less pollutants like smog emissions around the major routes.

Congestion charging
How it works? You will know when you are entering and leaving the Congestion Charging zone because you will see Congestion Charging signs on or at the side of the road. There are no barriers and tollbooths; instead you are paying to register your Vehicle Registration Number (VRN) on a database. Cameras will read your number plate as you enter, leave or drive within the charging zone and check it against the database of those who have paid the charge or those who do not have to pay the charge because they are either exempt or registered for a 100% discount. The Congestion Charge has been effective in reducing traffic levels and allowed TFL to invest in improving transport in London. There has been a six per cent increase in bus passengers during charging hours. By law, all net revenue raised by the charge (148m in financial year 2009/10) has to be invested in improving transport in London, which is a huge sum of money. A six percent increase in bus passengers means a six percent decrease in car uses during that time. This helps to reduce the amount of emissions from the vehicles in London.

LEZ
The London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) is a traffic pollution charge scheme with the aim of reducing the tailpipe emissions of diesel-powered commercial vehicles in London, England. Only vehicles that do not conform to higher emission standards are charged, the others may enter the controlled zone free of charge. The low emission zone started operating on 4 February 2008 with phased introduction of an increasingly stricter regime until 3 January 2012. The scheme is administered by the Transport for London executive agency.

Source London: current situation and likely benefits

A scheme to encourage people to buy and use electric vehicles in and around the London area to promote greener commuting and reduce pollutants. It has a few aims and they are to:

Have 100,000 electric vehicles on the road as soon as possible Have a network of publicly accessible charge points across London

Their ultimate aim is for every Londoner to be within 1 mile of an EV charging point

Current situation

The map above shows all the current charging stations across the London area and as shown above, they are numerous. The scheme has taken off as there are now a lot more charging zones around the city, indicating there is now more demand for the charging docks. The benefits should be a reduced carbon footprint from commuting in London if a lot more people adopted it as there would be less fossil fuels being used in form of petroleum and diesel which would be good for the image of the city as it shows it is an evolving mega-city trying to find innovative ways to deal with its huge carbon footprint from automobiles. Drawbacks of electric vehicles: Reduced range Less power More expensive Still produces pollution, either in production of said car or in production of electricity to power car Charging is a problem for people that live in apartments or park on streets

To what extent is TFL contributing towards a more sustainable urban transport system?
Understandable and easily accessible bus routes and fares allow for easier usage by commuters so it makes sustainable transport more desirable Oyster cards and other kinds of cards including discount cards makes sustainable transport more affordable to the general public Bicycle scheme also makes sustainable transport more attractive as the bikes seem to get to their destination faster and with less hassle which is a huge point that time conscious commuters would value

Overall very successful but the full rewards would not be seen for a while as more and more people are convinced that a sustainable urban transport system is the way forward